USA: Obama Report: Electric-Car Batteries Getting Cheaper

The cost of batteries for electric and hybrid cars is expected to fall in the next three years to levels where everyday consumers could consider them affordable. That’s part of the message in a report the White House issued today.

In “A Secure Energy Future: Progress Report,” President Barack Obama’s administration included advances in battery technology and battery-powered vehicles among the developments that promise to help the U.S. shake its dependence on foreign oil. And a key factor expected to drive the electric-vehicle market is the rapid decrease in the price of batteries by 2015.

At that point, the report says, a 10-kilowatt-hour battery that would give an electric car a 40-mile range would cost about $3,600 compared with $12,000 in 2008.

Much of the expected price drop is attributable to increased battery production, the administration said. According to the report, the U.S. had two factories making advanced batteries for cars in 2009.

“Since then, we have supported 30 new advanced battery and electric vehicle component plants that are opening across the country,” the report said.
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